Costa Philippou stopped Tim Boetsch in the third round of their UFC 155 main card bout Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Philippou recovered from being rocked early in the fight to get the technical knockout at 2:11 of the final round.
Boetsch and Philippou clinched for long periods, but it was a front kick by Boetsch that made the biggest impact in the first round. Philippou fell back, but recovered as the two went into the second frame.
Boetsch somehow injured himself in the first round, but continued on in the second. Philippou landed an accidental eye poke halfway through the period, but resumed fighting, getting taken down shortly after. Philippou worked his ground and pound, bloodying up his opponent and landing consecutive elbows until the end of the round.
Philippou continued his assault as Boetsch began to have trouble seeing through his blood-covered face. Boetsch pulled guard three times in the third round before Philippou landed enough strikes for the referee to step in and stop the contest.
With the win, Philippou wins his fourth straight fight, while Boetsch loses his first fight since dropping to middleweight.
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